Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf Expansion

Two new Houses – the respected praetor, Varinius and the arrogant noble, Seppius – dramatically change the game's Intrigues. Varinius imposes his will on the noble Houses, while the meddling Seppius twists the plots of others to his own nefarious ends. Shrewd new Schemes and frantic Reactions will cause more treacherous assaults and desperate alliances between the Houses than ever before!

Houses bid for new Slaves who add to the fortunes of their Dominus with new skills and talents. Combatants learn new brutal fighting techniques as new weapons and armor become available. Powerful new Gladiators stand among the other champions of Capua, ready to make their mark in the arena and earn glory and Influence for their Dominus.

Teams of Gladiators battle each other in a grand spectacle of blood and strategy with the addition of the Primus. Two Gladiators are matched against another team of two. Bitter rivals may find themselves fighting side-by-side, seeking favor and reward during these brutal contests. While most Gladiators battle with honor and purpose, beware treacherous fighters who many turn on their teammate when the opportunity arises!

User Reviews (2)

I love expansions that bring more to a game but do not change the core experience. Spartacus, Serpents and Wolf definitely does this. So what does this add-on bring to the already excellent game, I hear you ask? Let me go through each part and what it adds:

1, 2 extra schools/ Dominuses. The game can now be played in 5 and 6 player, It may take longer but it is still as interesting as ever. Also the new house abilities really mix up the game during the intrigue phase.

2, Extra Intrigue and Market cards. This means extra gladiators, slaves and items. New intrigues that really can decimate someone when they are losing their influence and cards that now require you to be higher or lower in influence against the player you are using them on. There is also a new Asher card to replace the old that allows him to switch sides in a Primus (team fight), really highlighting the sneakiness of this character and making him more valuable.

3, The Primus. Once a player hits 10 influence he can host a primus which is a two versus two fight. This makes the race for the end of the game quicker and incredibly exciting.

Replay Value: The cards are designed to be used at all times in the game, no matter how many players. This makes it even more varied and enjoyable to come back to.

Components: Two new gladiator figures, new cards of decent quality with that great look from the show. No faults here.

Easy to Learn: Nothing has changed just one or two new rules to incorporate and very easy to understand.

All in all, think of this as an enhancement, rather than an expansion. Just get it to improve your game!

I recommend purchasing this expansion if you’re a fan of the base game of Spartacus. It adds a lot to the game at a good price and makes an already good game better. First off, the addition of two new houses means you can now play with six players and the houses play once again differently to the base ones.
The addition of the Primus is brilliant, four players can now do battle in the arena which eradicates down time previously experienced by other players in the battle phase.
New and replacement cards are included tightening up the entire experience.
Essential purchase if you own Spartacus.